10-24-2013, 10:24 PM
Crispin felt overwhelmed by disappointment when Ethan started making his departure. After the other man's interest in the ship, he had hoped they might become friends... but apparently he had driven off yet another person. His struggle to find words that would delay his guest was interrupted by the sudden vibration of the floor. "Oh, no... no no no... not again!"
Frantic now, he raced for the bridge, barely noticing the sudden enthusiasm of the cleaning spider. She hasn't done this for months... I thought I'd fixed this! Arriving at the helm, he threw down a lever to stop the ascent and spun the wheel to check the starboard turn he was sensing. That was his intention, at least. What really happened was that the lever sprung back up as soon as he let go of it, and the wheel remained stubbornly in place even with his full weight against it. The ship's departure didn't slow at all, and Crispin got a wrenched shoulder for his troubles.
The autopilot must be engaged... but I didn't turn it on! The thought galvanized him and he did an abrupt about face, dashing now toward the engine room. He leapt over the supine Spade without slowing, only shouting a single word of explanation, "Autopilot!"
The autopilot system was set, pointing toward some spot in the middle of the Atlantic. Turning dials and flipping levers didn't change the course, nor did beating the panel with his fist. Defeated, he slumped to the floor beside the autopilot and pleaded with the ship. "Please, love, we don't have time for this... I just found one of the items in London, and we have a guest... we can't just kidnap him..."
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